


Hallow’s Angels

by EmpressOfHel (JoJo419)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bittybones (Undertale), Angst, Bitty Rescue Fic, Fights, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, In this town SHES the queen, Multi, Reader has a past, Reader has weird morals, Reader is down to fight for her Bitties, Reader runs a gang but it’s a decent one, Reader takes no shit, She also wants to adopt and love them all, extra warning for loose morals from main characters, reader has a look, reader is a boss, that look is mainly Biker Badass, the author regrets absolutely nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23524951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoJo419/pseuds/EmpressOfHel
Summary: The Hallow’s Angels were the toughest group of bikers this side of the map. They took no shit, and would handle any problems that came their way. The network they used was a spread out one, and it was pretty terrifying.Now if only it matched their legitimate personality’s. Truth is, none of them have done anything that bad. Not until tonight.In their own city, Bitty fighting rings were popping up. The leader(that’s you by the way) wasn’t about to stand for it, so the ladies got involved and hit the source head on. In the ensuring madness, the typically hot headed biker ends up with her own set of Bitties who honestly needed a break.She was gonna give them, and perhaps others, a home. With a past of trouble looking to make a comeback, the power of found family, questionable morality, and other shenanigans bound to happen, it’ll be up to this gang to prove who runs these streets.In the nicest way possible, with all due respect officer.TL:DR this is a bitty rescue fic where main reader is a biker running a wholesome gang. Shenanigans, angst, and found family inside. Please enjoy, and remember to comment.
Relationships: Found Family for Reader, Romantic for other original characters
Comments: 88
Kudos: 178





	1. Long Night Ride

The clock was ticking away each second, and you remained sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Eyes closed, mind focused on everything around you, you practically felt each little _tick tick tick_ on your skin, and it was only making your excitement that much greater. You had to wait, though, for midnight. That was the plan for you and the rest of the gang...group?...nah, gang. Gang sounds cooler. 

There was only a few minutes left. You breathe in and out, feeling that twitchy urge to just get up and GO that always came with the excitement of these sorts of gigs. _Focus on the darkness...focus on the void…_ You’re telling yourself this over and over, but let’s be real — it’s only hyping you up more and more.

Tick tick tick

_In…_

Tick tick tick

_Out…_

Tick tick ti—

 **RINGGGG**

You are up and off the floor, vaulting over the couch to run over and head out the front door. Heart pumping, you mentally go over the checklist and plan. Nothing could afford to go bad tonight, not after all the practice you and the others put into this.  
All black clothing, check. Wig secured, check. Colored eye contacts, check. Face mask to hide in and what’s left exposed being painted with odd designs to flip out security systems, double check! Hell, you even splurged a little and got some bomb black gloves — just to be sure. You’re out of your cabin and on your baby in no time. She’s purring already, and you grin. A slick motorcycle like this might draw attention, but you trusted no other ride to get you out of dodge faster than DustStorm.

The plan was another matter entirely, and while you had faith you still remained nervous over the whole thing. On the outside, it was simple as a day at the beach. Get in, grab all you could, get out. Looking beneath the surface though, shows so many ways this could go wrong. 

The location was pretty isolated, and might be guarded. There would definitely be people there, so there was no “get out unnoticed” achievement available. You and the others would be unable to call the cops. What was happening was illegal, but what you were doing was — also — illegal. It is a worthy cause, however, so that wasn’t that worrying after all. Still, no backup if things got ugly. You all could hold your own in a fight, though. 

The ultimate problem lies in your catch, though. In the end of all things, you had to somehow smuggle out the main event: Bitties. Bittybones, to be exact. You had no idea how many would be there, or what kinds were there, but it didn’t matter.  
You knew Charlie had brought her van, so you’d likely be putting as many Bitties as you can in there. That was the whole point, after all. This place was no clean adoption shop or kind home, it was a shitty fighting ring. Bunch of sickos forcing these little dudes to go to war with one another just to make big bucks. 

Sucks for them that the Hallow’s Angels found out about this place. Your gang of five — in the inner circle, at least. You had eyes and ears everywhere, plus allies — was about to drop kick the door open and show them the meaning of Wrath. 

_Lila would get a kick out of that...meaning of Wrath, I gotta use that!_ Whooping, you soar past the thinning out treeline and into the depths of the city. The drive had been an easy one, twenty minutes tops, to reach the dead area being used as a parking lot. Slowing down to a stop, you park DustStorm and start the small trek up to the lonely building being used as a stage tonight. You keep a sly smirk hidden when you notice lights moving behind the place, hardly irregular mixed in with the rest of the cars. Looks like the rest of your ladies just arrived, and with no one else to notice that it was time to get started on the stake out. 

The girls’ mission was to find where all the Bitties were being hidden, but yours was a little more testy. While encouraged to nab and grab whenever possible, you were set up to document the pieces of shit who runs this circus. Faces, names, and plate numbers. Everything was evidence that could anonymously be reported towards the cops at a later date. 

At least, looking at others making their way in, you didn’t stick out that much. Most have their own masks and coverings to hide their identities, which admittingly did make your job harder. You’d take that over sticking out like a sore thumb though.  
Even through the mask, though, the smells of dust and blood were so strong it hit you like a wave. It was a bitter wake up call from your own thoughts, it was time to focus. 

Painful as it was, you do your best to block out the loud music, the cheering of the small crowd. Mostly, however, the worst was the crying of the Bitties. You saw TONS of them - Sansy types, Edgies, Cherries...a couple of Baby Blues even. Swallowing back bile, you keep moving past the arena. You had to keep moving, and like a shark you circle the area. 

The mask served a double purpose. Thanks to the wonders of Charlie the Tech Queen herself, she had managed to sew a tiny camera into it that could record up to eight hours of footage in one go. You didn’t even have to get out a phone or anything, just look like an interested...whatever this lot would call themselves. You were struggling to keep your temper, being honest. 

_Just gotta do this and go...the others can handle the rest…_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s been two hours. Two. Hours. 

You were gonna throw yourself at the next asshat to yell at the Bitties — show them how a proper brawl goes, see if they like it. You felt twitchy with nerves, heart race going up again and it was only going to get worse from here on out. You only hoped the girls had gotten to the holding area. Maybe they were already on the way out…

< PSST, BOSS! Don’t panic - I hooked up a wire into the wig. I don’t have much time, but we need a distraction fast! Ruby has these guards tripping over her, but it’s not gonna last. Get those ones in there stirred up and it’ll call out the ones on our end. We packed up all that we could in the van, we just need an opening to BAIL! >

Eyes widening, you finally freeze up. Shit, alright, you needed to cause a distraction — something loud enough to get everyone going. Most of the Bitties would be safe now, after all the van was going to make a stop at a local Bitty Center to get them help, but someone was going to see the fights slowing down with the lack of fighters now. You had to act fast. 

You look to the left. Mildly agitated crowds of people — could start a fight, get the jitters out and leave some marks.  
You look to the right. Two handlers bringing out a carrier that could only hold the next fighters. 

Well that right there makes your choice for you, doesn’t it?

It’s a sprint, and you are bolting for the handlers. They startle at you rushing them, and it’s enough for you to grab the carrier and KEEP. GOING.  
It’s silent somehow, it feels like everything is suddenly going into slow motion. Like everyone suddenly had the same thought; who the hell would ever steal fighting Bitties at a fighting ring, in plain sight?

_**ME, BITCHES!!** _

Everything speeds back up as you hit the doors and keep going, momentum carrying you through the minor stop and off to DustStorm. You hop on, check that you can safely keep the carrier on board, and start her up. She roars to life, and over the shouting of the angry people now chasing you. Your bike lives up to her name, though, and you’re off on the road in a cloud of dirt. The shouting is drowned out, and underneath the mask you smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You make it down a couple of blocks before pulling over into an alleyway. Careful not to jostle your new riders, you slip out a burner phone and make the call. There’s a couple of rings, then an audible click of an answer. 

“Lila’s Lilacs, your one stop shop for all things odd. How may I help you?” The peppy voice makes you laugh, and it’s a relief to hear her. 

“Cut it, Lila. It’s like two thirty AM who would call your store at that time?” You pause, hearing her laugh back at the snark before moving on, “How many did you ladies get out?”

“We got at least twenty carriers, but haven’t looked in many. I swear there’s like four...five Bitties each in a carrier. Not gonna lie to you, Boss lady, but if the Hallows Angel’s didn’t show tonight a lot of these little dudes would’ve dusted. Charlie dropped me off at the apartment, though, and she’s making the late night hustle to get them safely to that Bitty Center we checked last week.”

The news is a relief to hear. That’s so many Bitties, so many who would get a fresh start and get to finally find peace. She can’t see you, but you nod anyways.  
“Alright. Thanks for the update Lila. I’m gonna burn the wig and head home for the night. I’ll catch you at work tomorrow, er today I guess.” It shouldn’t be possible but you swear her laugh makes you smile that much more. She’s a ball of sunshine, a balm against this dark world.

“Roger that boss. Oh! Remember to ditch the phone too! Smash it up like a creeper's face!” Chuckling, you say an official goodbye before hanging up. Then, you chuck the phone at the brick wall closest to you and jump on it for good measure. Maybe stomp it a few times. Just, just to be sure. Your boots could take it. 

Turning back to the bike makes you pause, though. Right, the carrier you swiped on your way out. You actually groan, and suddenly it smacks you in the face how late it is. Sure, you were used to late nights but… _holy shite_ You now have Bitties with you that you got from an illegal fighting ring, illegally. That is a lot harder to get rid of than a wig or phone. 

Not the darlings’ faults, of course. No, no they never chose this. The drive out to that Bitty Center though...it was admittingly a haul. One you weren’t prepared for in your current state, which left you with one option to go with. 

“Right...looks like y’all are coming with me then!” Dropping the wig in a trash can, you hop back on and start to drive off. You only take a moment to light the bin up before driving away. 

...You’re sure it’ll be fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your cabin in the woods was a long shot from what the movies show. You had it looking way more modern on the inside, and it was built like a fortress. One point for paranoia! At least if anybody shows up, you can lock it down from the inside quick enough. The first 24 hours are always the most stressful. 

You park DustStorm in the driveway, then march up the stairs to the porch. It’s a struggle at first to get inside, path lit by moonlight alone and the fact that you were stubbornly not putting down the carrier for a minute, but eventually you hip bump the front door open. Oops, guess you didn’t lock it on the way out. Whatever, no neighbors so no problems. 

Outside of the multiple locks on multiple doors, the place was pretty relaxing. When you bought it, it had been made with a family in mind. Two bedrooms, one full master bathroom and a half one attached to a bedroom, what could have been an office room, and then the kitchen was more or less combined with the living room. A back door leads out into the forest, which has been turned into a training ground for you. 

That office has been remodeled into a mini doctors office, medical supplies stocked up and prepared for whoever manner of person showed up. Life’s taught you to be prepared, and you were a great student.  
While every instinct was telling you to march in there and get to work on whatever wounds your new roommates likely had, you didn’t want to scare them more than they already might be. Shit you weren’t even sure what kind of Bitties you had on you!

With that, you walk over to the kitchen island, put the carrier down gently, and open up the door, smiling. Now was the time to remain perfectly calm and collected, try and keep them relaxed.  
“Hello...everyone? I’m sorry, I’m not sure who’s in there right now...here, I’m gonna leave the door open, and you can pick when to come out. I’m gonna make y’all some food, though, so I hope you have an appetite.” You go for joking, but it falls pretty flat when there’s no response. With a sigh, you move away from the island and over to the stove to heat up a pan. 

It was an odd mix, but when you weren’t feeling well the best thing in the world was apple slices and scrambled eggs. It was always perfect, and you were pretty sure it was the easiest thing to make right now. Plus, you weren’t actually sure what groceries you had on you at the moment. Better to keep it simple. You're digging around the fridge to find the apples, eggs already on the counter ready to get mixed, when you can hear tiny footsteps on the tabletop behind you. You don’t turn around, not wanting to startle them that bad, and so you keep working. 

Eggs in the pan, apple slices being cut to small pieces and looking like...well, ok they don’t look like good rabbits but it was an attempt. The movement has stopped, so you look back up to the carrier…

You were gonna start a bar fight if you ever saw those trashy shitty little cowardly assbutts again. It was going to be on sight, it was going to end in a murder, and there will be nothing left for the cops to investigate. You knew people, the cops wouldn’t even know something happened. Whatever it took, whatever it will take. 

A Softy Bones Bitty should **never** look that scared. Ever. You’ve done the occasional glance in a Bitty Center, you’ve seen these little dudes and their cute little star hoodies all sleepy on whatever was softest. You had a stealth pic on your phone of one sleeping in a Kleenex box, and he looked so SMALL!

Restraining the urge to make some calls, you try for your kindest smile to give him.  
“Hey, little sleepyhead. You hungry hun? I got some apple slices, and I’m sure the eggs will be done in a few moments here. I can even warm some milk up for you if you want. I’m sure that would taste so good.” You knew you were being as gentle as possible, but it was putting your heart in a vice when the Softy just seemed closer to crying. What did they DO to him?!

Shaking, he lifts his hand and points at the carrier. Confused, you walk a bit closer and peer inside. He seems so nervous at you being this close, but he was being an awfully brave Bitty and just kept pointing inside. It takes a minute for you to recognize the smell of blood and dust. Oh, no…no no no. Did you lose one on the way here??

A cough, and you’ve never felt so glad to hear such a raspy sound. Good, he’s alive. Conditioned unknown but by the way the Softy was reacting you probably had to move fast. 

Food can wait. For now.


	2. Deals and Dine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader helps her patients and gets them fed. Questions are asked and answers are painful.

You hustle into the back, carrier in your arms and the Softy clinging to whichever Bitty was inside. You had offered to carry the little dude, but he seemed terrified at the idea and just ran back inside. You hadn’t pushed it. 

The medical room was sterilized, you made sure to clean it every day just to keep it that way used or not, so you weren’t that worried about just putting the carrier in the center of the room’s table. Checking, you notice the carrier was one of those weird ones — it had clamps on the sides so the top part could be lifted up. Bingo! You pop that baby open, and slowly pull the top away. 

Softy is crying, wailing away and trembling in a corner. You wanted to comfort him so _bad_ but you were focused on his two companions. They both were beat to hell and back, the one bleeding you could recognize as a Boss bitty. He was out cold, and scratches littered his entire form. Thankfully, it seemed to look worse than it was, so some sea tea and a nice bath might help. 

The other bitty, though, was less recognizable. He looked similar to a Lil Bro, but a golden tooth and the fuzzy jacket he was holding on to in a tight grip seemed to belong more to an Edgy. Maybe the Boss leant him the jacket? No, no they don’t normally have jackets…

He was bleeding from an eye socket, and it was bright red — fresh blood. The mark couldn’t be any older than a couple of hours. Had he been one of the ones forced into the arena, and was going to end up fighting again? No wonder that iron scent was hanging in the air. They were going to just throw him to the dogs, wounded like that...

_Not anymore, at least. I got him now. I’m never letting go._

You set to work, turning away from the Bitties and digging around a few drawers. You find proper wrapping bandages, and a couple of those finger bandaids, before checking your sea tea supply you had tucked away. For good measure you get out some cleaning supplies like q-tips and anti infection wipes. A final preparation was some monster candy, but you really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. 

That stuff was hard to get your hands on. It was considered rather powerful for humans, and the magic potency in it was difficult to stabilize. They had to be used in emergency scenarios, otherwise it would be considered a waste. You were more than confident this could count, so best to have it on deck. 

Pulling up a stool to sit on, you focus on your more awake patient for the moment. Thankfully, for as horrible as the Boss and other guy seemed, it looked like the Softy wasn’t hurt at all. Just really, really traumatized...oops. Without flinching, you pull out a small pack of Kleenex and set it near him acting nonchalant. 

Just in case the little dude wants it. 

“Alright, hun. We need to help that eye of yours get cleaned up so I can patch it up. Now, I understand you may be very nervous about this but take it from me — it’ll feel SO much better once it’s patched up.” You’re practically cooing to the dear, but he’s still so nervous. You can see him shaking as he watches you, and he doesn’t come any closer. If anything, he’s kind of blocking your view of the Boss...oh.

_Oh_.

He was trying to protect him. From you. Murderous thoughts dancing in your head, you smile as sweetly as you can.   
“Ok...here, I absolutely promise I will not touch your friend there if you let me patch you up. Hell, I’ll give you the supplies and you can help him yourself. I just want to make sure you are dealt with, eye wounds are hard to do by your lonesome. We got a deal?” He looks back at the Boss, then at you. Slowly, he steps away from the guarding position he’d taken up and closer to you. You pretend, for his own pride, not to notice how he flinches every few movements closer. 

Actions slow, and almost exaggerated, you use a q-tip to wipe away the blood. After that, some anti infection wipes, which has you chanting “sorry” over and over again. They were great for cleaning up small cuts, but holy SHIT did they burn! Once it’s all cleaned up, you give a sigh of relief — the cut is shallow, you can see a flickering light in there, his eye. Good, you wouldn’t have to rush him to a hospital. Next was small strips of gauze, tied carefully to apply light pressure to the head wound. 

This is over in ten minutes, and the both of you seem to relax more once it’s done. Nodding at your handiwork, you grab the canister of sea tea and pour it out into a small medicine cup.   
“Ok, this dosage should be enough to heal his cuts. He’s out for the count, but I’m pretty sure he’s just sleeping. I have a friend I can call up and see if they’ll come over to check on him, though, just in —“

“ **NO!** ” The strange Bitty yells, before clamping both hands over his mouth. The Softy has stopped crying — he actually had looked close to dozing off, holding onto a Kleenex like a security blanket — but he now was just watching with a look of horror. Surprised by the outburst, it at least soothes your soul a bit. They were voicing opinions, and that was so much more welcomed than obedient silence. 

“Ok, no friend then. I can work with that, but I’m setting the line by saying if the Boss gets worse then I’m making the call. I’ll bend for comfort, but not for safety.” You nod your head towards the cup of sea tea, “Still, you should get him to drink that. As promised, I’m stepping back so you can treat him. You want my help though, I’m more than willing to jump in.”

The Bitty nods — you’ll have to ask his type or do a quick search — before setting to work on treating the Boss’s wounds. A pang in the heart is your reaction, this guy knows first aid and it’s not for good reasons. Crisis averted, you look to the Softy. Poor sweetheart is doing his best to stay awake, actually tilting a bit to the side but forcing his eyes to stay open. Rubbing his eyes, he blearily looks up to see you watching. 

“Hey, baby. You wanna sleep, you go right ahead. This place is a fort and I’m not letting anybody in tonight.” You reassure him, and the look of relief that crosses his face is so heartbreaking. Dropping the safety tissue, he raises his arms shakily up to you. You cup your hands around him and hold him close to your chest, chuckling a bit as he immediately starts snoring. 

Focusing attention back to the other two, you see little glimmers of green as the cuts patch themselves up by the power of sea tea. Stepping away from the Boss, the other Bitty looks around only to notice where his other companion went. Eye sockets widening, he just points at Softy then at you. He’s actually shocked speechless. 

“Aw, don’t worry. I know how to handle little ones, I can carry him.” Getting up from the stool, you shift the sleeping Bitty before holding a free hand out to the other, “Now, since your friend here is asleep, how about those apples and eggs I promised you boys?”  
A weight on your shoulders, and you blink before noticing the tiny medic just _teleported_. You take it in stride, and walk slowly back to the kitchen. 

Alright then. This Papyrus can teleport. You’ve seen stranger sights. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Admittingly, some of the eggs had been burnt. You ate those yourself, and gave the fluffier looking eggs to the Bitties. Alongside the diced apples and small cups of milk, and you were pretty proud of the meal you made. Look, ma, a meal that can actually be considered nutritious!  
You snort at the sight of the Softy snoozing away. He’d woken up, said nothing, and devoured his eggs. He’d started on an apple slice, but fallen asleep mid bite and was now using the slice as a pillow. At least he was happy. 

The other...was watching you. Not even in a small way, but blatantly staring at you. He had only started eating after seeing you eat some, and inspecting the ingredients, and the cookware. You truly hoped he only wanted to see that stuff out of an interest in cooking, but your darkened heart said otherwise. You knew better. 

“So…” You start off, poking a bit at some crispy eggs, “I do believe you may have questions. I do too, but you get first dibs.” He nods, carefully, and you can hear him swallow. Not even gonna question that. 

“Where are we?” His voice is raspy, and if you were pushed you’d call it smoky even. Curling in the air, but light enough you’d barely notice. It was a fair question. 

“You’re at my cabin. This is where I live, and occasionally work. We are roughly twenty minutes from the city, fifteen if I feel like a hard ride and thirty if I’m driving the car. We are decently isolated, the only other building being a small dollar store with questionable owners but they know better than to start causing me trouble. There’s a river nearby, which you can probably sail on and reach some town close by if one needed a quick getaway but not advisable. No one other than my girls, and a few people who work for me, know I’m here.” You give the breakdown of the nearby area, and he nods. Since you two were playing twenty questions, you get started on your turn. 

“What type of Papyrus are you? I got a Bitty Center on my books and I know I’ve never seen one like you in there.” He winces at the question, and you go to let him know he doesn’t have to answer but he beats you to it. 

“I’m a Mutt. It’s...it’s what they always called me, anyways…” Oh, gods. That look was a harsh one, and you know it from seeing it in the mirror. This was getting fixed and quick. Shaking your head, you grin at him. 

“Nah, you can’t be a mutt. You seem more like a Pup to me, a sweet puppy protecting his pack. Yknow...you could totally call yourself Wolf.” You trail off, before snapping your fingers, “That’s it. Forget mutt, you're a damn Wolf! Like - like that Witcher dude from TV, all tough and protective but caring and gentle.” You outright laugh when his eye-lights turn into little gold hearts. 

“Wolf...I like that. But…” He takes another swallow of air, and seems to brace himself, “W-What do I have to do? To earn it? N-Names don’t...don’t just happen. How many…” A shudder, “How many fights do I have to win?”

You don’t say anything. You can’t. You knew things were gonna be bad, you’ve been walking this dark path for years, but...he thought he had to WIN HIS NAME. That…  
Thank the gods the eggs were at least burnt, it would make it harder to get sick at this. 

Your silence was taken for an answer, and Wolf — _because **FUCK** his old so-called owner he’s Wolf now and if that trash wants to debate you’ll see his ass in the ring _ — has started trembling. He’s off like a verbal shot before you can stop him. 

“I-I know how to teleport, and I’m really good at offensive. Pair - pairing me up with another offensive fighter, I-I-I can serve as an e-easy target. I’m good at d-dodging, and you wouldn’t lose any money from short fights! W-Whatever you w-want. I can t-t-throw f-fights if you wanna bet a-against me…” He finally slows down, shaking so badly you can barely hear him over the tremors in his voice. You had a feeling you couldn’t hide the growing horror you felt as easily as you thought. 

You clear your throat before answering.  
“You don’t have to do any of that, hun. I promise. After all the Hell you’ve been through, a name is the least you deserve. You never have to fight again, Wolf. If anybody’s fighting it’s gonna be —“ _**bad phrasing BAD PHRASING**_

“N-NO, PLEASE! I CAN FIGHT HONEST!” With all the stress building up, it’s both heartbreaking and a good sign when he starts crying. It’s good to let it all out, even if you desperately wish it had been far different circumstances.   
“Please, please don’t send the others out there! I-I-I can make you enough money, I’ll pay it all back! You don’t even have to feed me or anything, I’ll take care of myself just please don’t make them fight _they won’t make it please I’ll do whatever you want they’re all I have p l e a s e…_ ”

You probably shouldn’t grab the emotionally compromised, fighting trained Bitty but logic be damned your hugging him. You’re holding him close as he sobs, muttering soft assurances and promises. Promises of no more fighting, no more going hungry. Wolf was safe with you, and so are his friends. You’ll look after them all, come Hell or high water. 

Even then, Satan was gonna get a baseball bat to the face if he wanted your boys. That’s who they are now, your boys. Your protected Bitties. You’d name them, love them, and murder anyone who tried to hurt them.

This forest is big. You know how to hide bodies. 

You’ve done it before. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wolf’s crying woke the Softy up, who proceeded to join him. Didn’t even know why, poor dear just joined right in which led to you cradling them both. Now here you were, on the couch with late night reruns of Star Trek going with two tuckered out Bitties on your chest. At least you were lying down, slightly, and the couch was comfortable from years of use. 

You already knew how this was going to go. You can’t move without waking them, let alone going and changing out of your clothes. So you’d be crashing on the couch, in leather and jeans, just because you were refusing to wake up two Bitties who had finally found peace in their lives. 

“So worth it…” You’re grinning like a loon, you can sense it, “So worth it for you boys. Goodnight Wolf, goodnight...Cloud. Yeah, Cloud suits you.” You brush lips against their tiny foreheads, a touch of a kiss, and the loon grin grows when they move closer to you. You look down the hall, eyes focusing on the office’s door. 

“Goodnight, darling. I’ll tell you your name once you’re awake. I’m sure...I’m sure you’ll love it.” You fall asleep like that. Clutching two of your boys, ears open and TV running. 

All is well.


	3. Breakfast of Bosses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On this day, April 19th of 2020, that I post this...IT IS MY BIRTHDAY! For obvious reasons, I cannot go out and do anything for my birthday, so I decided to quickly write up a chapter for this fic to celebrate turning...
> 
> Nineteen! :D Level one of adulthood completed, and some author backstory unlocked 😂 
> 
> Anyways I seriously hope you enjoy this chapter, and know that I truly adore every one of you who gives me and this fic(or any of my fics to be honest) a chance. You’ve all made my life so much better just by being there.
> 
> Thank you. 💜

**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP**

Ok, setting the alarm was the absolute worst decision you have made today and the day has only just begun. Groaning, you sit up and blink hard. Light was streaking in from the nearby kitchen window, and you had a feeling checking the clock was going to reveal a bad case of sleeping in. At least you didn’t have anywhere huge to go today. 

Cloud and Wolf were still sleeping hard, hiding slightly in your hands. With a careful movement, you set them down on the coffee table and get up off the couch. Still near sleeping on your feet, you head over to the kitchen and start up the coffee. It takes a moment before it hits you, though. You...you never turned off the alarm. Hasn’t it been off for the past few minutes now? Usually it keeps going until…

SHIT. You race from the kitchen to your bedroom, and open the door. Your old alarm clock lies broken against the wall, blood red bones sticking out of the crumbled metal shards. Eyes trailing upwards, you look on the formerly made bed.   
The Boss Bitty was up, and he looked awful.

Shaking from what you could only guess was either stress or pain, eye sockets dark and hands raised up to strike. A few cuts have reopened, and blood was dripping down onto the bed sheets but that really wasn’t a problem, it’s easy to wash out.   
The problem was he hasn’t looked at you. He was keeping his eyes on the dying alarm and you had a good feeling why. The noise must have startled him awake, and potentially set him into an episode. This situation had to be approached with caution, and quickly. If Wolf or Cloud came looking for you now, Boss might attack on the premise of mistaking them for a threat. 

That wouldn’t end well for anyone. Time to act, and fast. You take two steps into the room, and knock on the wall. Finally, the Boss looks away from the broken clock and to you. You see a flicker of red in his eye sockets, and smile. 

“Hey, nice to see you up and about. I honestly thought it would take more than a night for you to wake up. Still, you should take it easy for a while so we can make sure you’re feeling better. I bet waking up to that old hunk of junk wasn’t any fun, was it? I’ve been wanting to smash it for years but never had the heart, good on you for taking initiative.” You chuckle at the odd look he gives you, disbelief clear as day on his face. You nod towards the back of the house, trying to seem as easygoing as possible. 

“How about we go out back? I can show you something cool, and then I’ll get started on making everyone breakfast. I’m thinking pancakes and sausages. You can watch me cook if you want, so you can make sure everyone is safe.” There it is, he’s starting to relax. At least, anyone else would call it relaxed but you knew that stance pretty well. You called it the resting fighter stance, it would convince someone you are at ease while mentally you’d be ready to deck the next person to get in your bubble. 

Carefully, the Boss jumps off the bed and starts walking towards the back. You make sure to walk in front, and together you both head out back. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The backyard was a bland set up. A small circular fire pit, a well traveled path down to the riverbank where you often trained at, and a pile of wood. The wood had marks in it, pieces struck off and grooves carved into it with no legitimate pattern to be seen. Stepping out into the open, you look back to see the Boss watching from the doorway. 

“So this is the backyard. I’d appreciate it if you left the fireplace alone but anything else back here is open game to wreck. Throw rocks at trees, stab a piece of wood over and over, whatever you need to do to let it all out. Personally I like to try and carve wood, at least if it comes out bad I can light it up.” He doesn't move away from the door — at least he’s on the porch now — but you keep a steady gaze on him, “I understand you may want to leave, but I’d like to ask you don’t. Wolf is worried about you, and I’m sure Cloud is too. You boys want to leave after breakfast, then that’s your choice but until then I’m insisting on house arrest.”

He still doesn’t move, and so you just sigh before heading back in. You keep the back door open, just in case he wants to come back in and so you can keep an eye out. Digging around the pantry a bit, you find the pancake mix and quickly get it out before turning on the stove. Hopefully these go better than the eggs last night, but no one you know would ever run out on free breakfast. 

Then again you loved breakfast foods so maybe that’s just you. 

Still, you keep working away. Occasionally checking to see if the damn coffee pot was going to make coffee or NOT — blasted thing liked to rebel and you were _seriously_ considering shelling out for a new one. You could hear the soft snoring of the sleeping Bitties over by the couch, and the morning chirping of birds outside through the open door. 

The sound of Blasters and wood splintering joins in this morning melody, and the smell of burning wood puts you at peace. Glad someone is enjoying themself…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cloud wakes up first, you can tell because as you are plating the mini pancakes you made for them, one suddenly disappears. You had made a bunch of little ones, alongside some sausage cut into cubes for them, but you were pretty sure one of the tiny cakes had gone missing.   
You decide to let it go, and then when you look back minutes later...it’s to Cloud having half another mini pancake shoved in his mouth, cheeks puffed out. The culprit is caught. He’s looking up at you, half in an innocent puppy dog look and half looking like he wanted to **bolt**.

You snort.   
“Oh, hun, good morning. Didn’t know you would be this hungry. Well, you help yourself. I’m sure Wolf will be waking up soon too, hey you think he eats like one?” You give yourself a point for the small giggle Cloud makes at your joke, and when you blink he’s gone. You look around, and the little angel is now seated at the table. He’s doing his best to put napkins in each place, and you spare a moment to wonder where he got them before joining him. 

Food out, table set, you walk over to the sleeping Wolf and figure it’s time to wake him up. If the way he acted last night about names was anything to go by, then you had the feeling he should not be missing meals. Ever. Plus a selfish part of you wanted to see if he would do the cheek puff too. You were a soft bitch for cute Bitties, and that’s nothing to be ashamed about. 

“Wolf…? C’mon, darling, food is ready and are bone thin.” You snicker at the pun, and you can swear you hear laughter from the table, “I promise it’s better than the eggs~!”  
A groan, and then he’s sitting up rubbing at his eye sockets. It’s a nice moment, but then he freezes and you can see his lights bounce around. 

_Still suspicious...can’t blame him, but still wish the poor guy would relax soon. Can’t be good for him to be this tense._ Your dragged out of your concern by Wolf teleporting onto your shoulder again. Seems for now, that’s his preferred way of transportation. 

“Lead the way, Miss.” You head over and chuckle when he leaps off to join Cloud at digging into the meal. It’s funny, while he goes right for the sausage Cloud is still just going to war with the pancakes. You just set some syrup down on the table for them, then head towards the back door. 

This seemed so domestic...it was actually kinda nice. You didn’t regret much in your life, no matter the good or bad, no matter the consequences that came with the lifestyle you’ve chosen, the path you walk down. The one thing, though, that you missed was the more relaxing moments that came with the typical lifestyle. Working nine to five, come home, enjoy a meal and some hobbies. Go out on the weekends with the besties, or have a date. 

You didn’t really regret it though. Miss it, sure, but never a regret in your mind. You got to help your friends with their businesses, you got to support who you want with your own dime. You can pay your bills, and enjoy life to its fullest. Sure, some of what you do was on the worse side of the law, but it wasn’t that troubling. Couple of turf fights, couple of trades and bargaining, this city was yours. Local police couldn’t do much, nobody would turn on you and any proof was hidden away. 

You’ve loved this town since you moved in all those years ago, and you might be a darker soul but you cared. Now, now you finally had it all. A close group to call family, a well profited job...and I guess you kinda had...what, kids? Would these Bitties count as kids, or just friends?  
...Nah, they’re family too. A nice, domestic family of a biker gang boss and her darling Bitties she rescued from a fighting ring.   
You were so gonna put whoever hurt your boys six feet under. 

Peeking out into the backyard, you choke on keeping a laugh down. The Boss Bitty was just glaring at this piece of wood — judging by the burn marks in it, he’d put it through the ringer — arms crossed and scowling. Not wanting to startle him, you knock on the side of the door to catch his attention. You smile at him when he looks up at you, he’s still scowling.

“Heya. You up for breakfast? I’m sure the boys left you a fair share, and I’m sure after how long you’ve slept you’re hungry.” A flash of red, and he’s gone. This...this was concerning. 

Lil Bros, and by extension Wolf’s line, can teleport. Boss Bitties...they shouldn’t. They **can’t**. It’s how all the lines are, each Bitty has one ‘brother’ who can and one who can’t. Edgies are the ones who teleport, not Bosses. 

You file that bit in the back of your head for later research.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was no need to panic. Turns out Boss decided to teleport to the table directly, which was also now included in the Look Up Later file of your brain.   
He was shadowing Wolf and Cloud, staring at the food like it would reveal secrets if he kept it up. Cloud had been pulled into his side, one arm tucked around the Softy as a protective gesture. Wolf was busy now trying to get the Boss to eat, by taking a bite and then giving him the rest. Interesting system, but it made sense. Easiest way to show something isn’t poisoned is by eating some of it. 

How many times did you have a rival take the first sip of what they brought out, again?

You settle down across from them, pouring a massive amount of syrup on your pancakes before joining them in the meal. Silence except for happy sounds coming from the hungry ones, and clinking dishes. You damn near choke on a bite when you notice Cloud’s eyes were little yellow stars, it’s just so precious!  
You also try not to notice Boss’s smug smirk at your mild choking moment. 

It’s peaceful, and even after all the food is gone you all sit in silence for a moment just enjoying the peace. It’s nice...but nice doesn’t always deliver, so it’s time for it to take a backseat to Boss Lady. 

“Alright, so I hope we all can have a reasonable talk.” You start off, catching their attention before continuing, “I’d like to welcome our patient here back to the world, and it’s nice to see you have so much energy. Fights can be hell on the body and mind, you bouncing back that quick is a real testament of strength. While you were out, you did miss Cloud and Wolf here getting their names, but most importantly you haven’t heard your name yet.”

You really had their attention now, especially the Boss. He had a white knuckle grip on his own knees, and you hurried on as to not have any incidents like last night with Wolf.  
“There will be no earning names, or food, or water, or any basic right in this house. You have my word, a promise upon my very life, that you are safe here and will not be harmed nor denied a single thing. You need something, you ask me. Nothing is banned, you can ask whatever. Don’t even think of hesitating. Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, with your permission I’d like to name you Leo.” You see him mouth the name a few times, as though testing it out. After a few minutes, he nods stiffly. 

“...I accept Leo. I...I demand to know why, though.” His voice is strong, a river rock grating against the roadside. Despite the conviction in his voice, the demand he makes, you see his fists shaking at his side. He’s as scared as they are, but rather than cower — which you totally understood that reaction, no judgement there — he’s choosing to rise. You knew you’d suggested right for his name. 

“Leo is the lion of the zodiac. As such, Leo star signs are seen as to be brave and proud. They do not bow, and stand as leaders against the dark.” Your voice drops a bit, turning from one boss to another, into one fighting soul to another.  
“That’s what you’ve done here, isn’t it Leo? You have fought for your life, your pride. You’ve faced the darkness and went through it snarling at those who stood against you. You deserve to be proud, you deserve a name to represent that hell you’ve conquered.”

Silence reigns for a bit, and you force your final words.   
“I know you three may not trust me yet. I can accept that. Choose to trust me or not, that’s ok. I am not asking you to trust me. I am asking you, however, to let me help you.”   
It’s so quiet, you swear even the birds outside have silenced their song to show respect for the moment. 

Your phone, on the other hand, has absolutely no issues kicking the metaphorical door down. It’s shrill tone screams for you to answer it, so you get up and go to do so.   
You listen carefully to the voice on the other line. Taking a deep breath, and sighing, you can’t keep the frustration down. 

“What the hell do you mean there’s people asking for me at your shop, Lila?” She gives you the answer, and you swear your blood pressure shoots to the moon alongside your anger. Looking at your boys, who are now conversing amongst themselves quietly, you throw open your front door and storm out for privacy. You close it before answering in a harsh tone. 

“What the **_fuck_** do you mean some of the fighting bitty handlers are at your shop? ...You mean you honestly recognize those shitstains from last night? Shit, shit ok I’ll be there you just keep them busy.” You hang up and shove your cell into your pocket. You had to hurry, you weren’t entirely sure on the whole scenario but you doubted Lila could keep those trash bags in her store for long. What would they need at a, loving dubbed, witch shop?? She said they asked for you, though…

You poke your head back into the house, keeping a calm smile on.   
“Boys, I’m going to go out for a bit. I promise I will come straight back...let’s say in an hour. Love you~!” You hear words of understanding, and step back out before locking the front door. You weren’t going to bother changing or anything. You’ll come back. 

First, though, it sounds like someone wants to speak to the manager of Lila’s Lilacs. Who would you be to disappoint?


	4. Fight O’ Clock in the Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC deals with Lila’s rude customers, then goes home to her totally innocent, not troublemaking boys.

Lila’s Lilacs looked like your everyday store. The store was colored in neutral tones, and had some flowering bushes outside. The name in a loopy cursive up on a neon glowing sign that she refused to turn off even in broad daylight, but you admired her spunk for it. The place was so ordinary on the outside it would have to take a repeat customer suggesting it for anyone to bother checking it out. 

The inside, though, looked more like a set up for a fantasy TV show. Either the ancient library setting, or maybe court magician’s room with the amount of crystals and hanging plants on display. It was quite the sight, and normally it would be quite relaxing to be in here. You can smell the freshly burning incense — something with cedar wood and...maybe pine cones? It was intense, but suited well. Likely she lit it before opening up the shop, only for trouble to stroll right in. 

Speaking of trouble, it doesn’t take long for you to see the layout of what’s happening. Lila was at the glass countertop, showing off all sorts of little souvenirs to two men in the absolute ugliest outfits you have ever seen. You didn’t dress up often, and honestly weren’t that into fashion, but holy _shit_ you are pretty sure the guy on the left was wearing a vomit green hoodie. Literally any other color would have worked, but he chose that one. The other one was decently dressed at least, but his HAIR…  
That was a frat boy haircut if you’ve ever seen one. You’re pretty sure that hair actually just asked to buy you a drink. And not in a nice, easygoing tone either but the tone of someone who has already decided you’re gonna say yes and go home with him. Yikes!

You stroll up, keeping a confident air of a typical manager. After all, the chance of these guys just being regular men — which was seriously unlikely but whatever — still could be true. Better safe than scarily threatening. 

“I heard you gentlemen wanted to talk to me. What can I help you with?” With the way your boots trumped against the hardwood floor, the men had straightened up stiff but now looking at you, you can see them relax. Already one sentence into this conversation, and both had dismissed you as anything but a threat. Oh, well, that would serve you well. 

“Your clerk friend here has something of ours. We were hoping to get back our...property.” Vomit hoodie is scowling as he says this, and you feel tense at the way Lila backs up from him. She might’ve helped with last night, but she wasn’t one to dance with the devil like you did. You needed to get these guys out of here, mainly for her safety. 

Mainly for the ass whooping that was likely to happen if they continued down this path. There’s a lot of breakables in here, you didn’t want to cost Lila any business.  
Smiling, you nod towards the back where you know there’s a nice, isolated storage area. “Well, how about we talk in my office then? I’m certain we can work everything out.”

Work everything out, indeed. Like stress. Like anger.  
Like pain that was inflicted upon small, small forms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The storage didn’t have much. Just some supplies to fix up any shelves that break, some extra materials for Lila to shape and to take commissions when they come in, and then finally a huge ass garage door made to roll up when a delivery truck stops by to make a drop.  
What it makes a drop of, is for you to know and nobody else to find out. Business is business, after all. 

The men following you don’t seem to care about the isolated meeting spot, even if they did they had made their opinion of you clear before. Little lady all smiles and politeness couldn’t _possibly_ be a threat.  
Suckers. 

“So, you boys said we took something of yours? Mind clearing up what that could have been?” You kept your time light, slipping hands into jean pockets. Your right fist tightens around a butterfly knife tucked away, and your left is clutched tight. Thumb outside the fist, as you were taught. Behind them, you eyed the door leading out into the shopfront. Lila doesn’t officially open for another ten minutes, which meant work had to move fast. 

“Yeah. See, you ladies must’ve gotten mixed up in quite the crowd...a couple of our boss’s Bitties went missing last night, and he’s nowhere near happy about it.” Bad hair guy answers you, but smiles in a crooked way afterwards, “I’m sure it’s all a big mistake, so how about you just...hand them over and we all move on with our day? Great, great. My friend and I will just collect them…” He steps closer to you, and that’s when you’ve had enough. 

A flick of the wrist and your metal wings are fluttering. It takes a quick left hook to down Bad Hair easily enough, but it’s main purpose was to distract Vomit Hoodie. When Hoodie goes to grab you, you duck and shove the knife into a low blow behind his knee and drag him down with you to create a gnarly slash. Both men on the floor, you scramble to put the blade against one throat and have the other in a headlock. 

“Now, listen boys. I give absolutely zero fucks what your boss wants or how he’s feeling. So you’re both gonna scram, and be thankful you aren’t leaving in a dumpster. Roger?” You chuckle when they nod, and a couple of hits knocks them both out. Shaking off the extra adrenaline, you check your phone for the time.  
You still had twenty minutes before you had to bail. You promised you would be home in an hour, and you can’t break a promise. Especially not this early, those boys were just relearning to trust and it’d be a mistake to do it. 

“Lila, hun, you still have Rob’s number? Give him a call, tell him it’s a one forty cleanup. I’ll pay double if he gets some info outta these shits.” You call over to her, and Lila nods before setting to work. Wiping a bit of blood off onto your jeans, you take a moment to think before looking over at the black haired girl.  
“Why’d those fools think you had Bitties anyways? Especially theirs? You didn’t forget a mask, right?”

“Not at all, boss. Kept a fox mask on all night!” Lila pipes up, but looks sheepish afterwards. You can hear the answering machine on her phone, so when she motions for you to look behind the counter as she talks to Rob you do so. 

A tiny Edgy is snoring away, clutching a small cloth bunny head that was definitely ripped off if the stray cotton says anything. You smother a laugh, then wave off any excuses Lila might try. 

“I got ya girl. You two have fun, I’m heading home.” You weren’t going to question her taking in one of the dudes. After all, you had three at home you had to get back to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking back into the house felt wonderful. The cold air hits you full blast, blowing away the sunshine heat from the drive back. Plates are still on the table from breakfast, but you notice they’re completely empty. Good, at least your boys ate well. You put the dishes in the sink, before heading into the living area. 

The boys aren’t there. No one sleeping away on the blankets or on the couch, watching the reruns currently playing on the tv screen. Likewise, the kitchen was completely silent when you put the dishes away to be washed. It was concerning, but you at least felt secure in them still being in the house itself. All the windows had been locked, and had screens on the outside so that’s not an option. With the two doors being locked, too, there couldn’t have been any way to get out. 

You head down the hallway, doing a subtle glance into the master bathroom and seeing nothing changed. You’d kept it the same since you bought the place so it wasn’t hard to glance over and see if there were any changes. None, so quick to move onto the bedrooms. Both yours and the guest one was still clean — well ok as clean as it normally is. You didn’t exactly have a spotless room but it’s well enough off so whatever. That left the office medical room hybrid. You open the door and walk in. 

Papers. Papers _everywhere_. Like holy shit you didn’t even know you had this many papers in here. On the floor, on the counters, and in the hands of two Bitties who now looked deeply guilty. Wolf and Leo have been the ones looking through everything, with Cloud sitting on a countertop nearby doing his best to...you think he might be sorting the papers. How he was sorting them, you had no idea. 

You laugh. You laugh loudly and ridiculously hard, even snorting a couple of times trying to catch your breath. It’s so...so ridiculous, just the mental image of these boys taking off once you left only to cause this much of a mess and then get **busted** in this way was so priceless. Gods, you felt so warm inside. This had to be happiness, and it’s so addictive. 

“Oh, wow. Couple of detectives, eh? Good on you boys, I had these hidden pretty damn well.” You walk over to where Cloud is, and start sorting the papers alongside him, “I’ve been meaning to go through my books anyways. Most of these used to be fronts, but we shut a lot of them down and rented the spaces out for real stores. They follow the rules, we give them a place, everybody profits.”  
You keep your tone casual, but don’t hold anything back. These boys knew the shadow world as much as you did, although who had it worse can be a debate, but either way you knew it would do no good to lie. 

“...You’re a gang boss.” Leo states, watching your every move. You get the vibe that he doesn’t mean that as a question, more of a statement. Either way, you nod. He looks you up and down, then nods as well. It feels like a stalemate, and even with the fight earlier you could swear there’s more tension here than at Lila’s. 

“S...so…” A whisper, one you don’t really recognize until you look down. It’s **Cloud**. He’s **TALKING**! He’s been so quiet you had honestly started worrying he couldn’t talk at all.

“Are...are we in trouble…?” He whimpers out, glancing around the room. Like it suddenly hits them, Wolf and Leo drop the papers in their hands, both watching you. Wolf seems much more nervous than Leo, even shaking a little, but for Leo you see his red magic lighting up on his right eye. 

“Not all at, hun. You boys were curious, and I can’t blame you for wanting to get some info while I was out.” You answer, as truthful as any gang boss could be. Sure, the mess would take a while to clean up, but you're not about to be upset over something this minor.  
Means more time at home. You’ll take that and run with it. 

None of them look like they believe you, not really, but that’s ok. It’s going to take a while, and it hasn’t even been a full day since you all came into each other’s lives. You shrug towards the piles though, and smile to break tension. 

“I don’t suppose you lot know any sorting techniques? If I’m behind honest, I’m a messy gal...and that’s no _fibula_.” You take a gamble on that pun, but it’s SOOO worth the giggles from Cloud and Wolf.

And the frustrated noise from Leo, too. Even if he’s smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t forget to comment if you like the story so far! Thanks for reading.


	5. Shopping Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part one of a shopping trip with the boys, both for goods and information.

After fixing up your office, you make up lunch for the boys. Nothing really big, just some macaroni and cheese. Still, you notice how quickly the boys chow down and it’s worrying. You’d stressed multiple times that no matter what, food would become a regular thing in their lives, but it seems they still needed time to adjust to that. 

You’d set up your laptop in the living room, stretched out on the couch so you could keep an eye on the boys as they were eating. You’d been doing some research and turns out you were entirely correct.   
Boss Bitties are not supposed to teleport, at all. There’s actually a few things Leo has done that he shouldn’t, the wide range of magic he has — including the blasters you KNOW he used on the wood targets outside. There’s no reported cases of Bosses ever doing it before, although plenty of people complain about their Edgies using their blasters. Might have to warn Lila about that next time you see her. 

Though, another problem seemed to have reared its ugly head at you. How had they found out about the raid? Sure, you’d caused a scene snatching up your boys but no one could have found out about the others. Things had been planned to perfection, and all evidence utterly destroyed so no one could pin the blame.   
Time to get in contact with, well, your contacts. You’d have to do some serious digging to get your answers. 

It’s a quick grab and type to have Charlie’s number pulled up on your cell. The phone rings a couple of times, before you hear her pick up. 

“Afternoon boss darlin’! How can I help out with whatever shit heap you’ve found yourself in this time?” Her teasing hello makes you smile, and you chuckle before answering. 

“Considering how you are with sleep habits, I’m saying good **morning**. Since you seem eager to get down to business I will oblige…” You lower your voice, shooting a quick glance over to the Bitties, “Look Charlie, I think we got ourselves a little crack in the security. Couple of goons showed up at Lila’s, so I’d appreciate some lookout. Anything you get, names, location, how they’re doing it. You got me, Char?” You get right to the point.   
This was dangerous. You had to cut this in the bud before anyone else tries to show up, or you’d put all the Bitties you had rescued in danger if they can easily be tracked. 

“Roger Roger. Tell you what, drop by later tonight I’ll get you something. You can bring your new boys with you! I’ll get to be an Auntie!!” She doesn’t even wait for a response, instead choosing to hang up after her excited cheering. You laugh and hang up as well, before looking over to three confused faces. 

“You boys wanna go out?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had taken some serious maneuvering, but you managed to help get everyone on DustStorm. No one wanted to go back in that old shitty carrier, and frankly you had the plot to use it as target practice at a later point of time.  
The boys were all safely tucked away in your jacket, and you were being careful to not go speeding down the roads so as to not put them at risk. Since you figured it would take a good couple of hours for Charlie to dig up some dirt on the assholes, you thought it would be a good chance to stop by that Bitty Center that helped out with the operation. 

Plus, you could properly get some good supplies. Good beds, nice clothes, and whatever the hell they wanted. You’d dug up some cash and was prepared to spoil these boys as rotten as Animal Crossing turnips on Sundays.   
You were lucky you built in some storage spots into your bike.

You pull into the parking lot of the center, parking close to the store and hopping off. You unzip your jacket a bit, and peek inside. 

“Everybody good? We’re here.” In sync, Leo and Wolf poke their heads out to look around. Cloud is a bit slower, and you can tell he had fallen asleep on the ride over. It was probably comfortable, all warm and the soothing engine roar. 

“Perfectly fine human! Now, where —?” Leo starts off, but his voice dies in a strangled whisper when he looks at where you’re at. You think all three sets of eyelights go out. 

“...you brought us back…” Wolf’s whisper is so quiet, and you can feel him shaking. Leo barely makes a sound, but he’s clutching Wolf and Cloud closely. 

“No no no no no no no no no...y-you can’t!” And like that, Cloud breaks down crying, “You can’t take us back! You c-c-can’t! Don’t wanna leaveeee!!” You go right into mother bear mode, and hold them close as you can. 

“Oh, no no I promise I’m not. We’re here to pick up some stuff, you boys are still coming home with me.” You reassure and reassure, soon the tears turn into sniffles, and calm settles over everyone, “Only time I’d let you boys go is if you wanted me to, until then you’re my boys and nobody is getting between that.”

With that confident statement, you four go into the center. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bright colors. Bright colors _everywhere_. You can understand why, trying to look as happy and cheerful as possible was a common “pet” store tactic, but good Gods did these designers push it to the brink! You think your eyes might be bleeding.   
At least it wasn’t just you here, otherwise you might have turned tail and decided to deal with business later. 

“Ok, gents. Feel free to go pick whatever out. I gotta talk shop for a few minutes.” You encourage them, and while Cloud and Wolf teleport away to do just that — you chuckle at seeing that Cloud immediately went for what you could only call the sleep section, filled with soft blankets and pillows.   
Leo stays sitting on your shoulder, and he doesn’t even look towards where the others went. You tilt your head, one eyebrow raised, “Leo…?”

“Oh, please. Like I’m letting you out of sight, human! Especially in this place…” He mutters the last part, but him being so close lets you hear. Quickly, though, he shakes himself out of that mood and straight into a more determined one, “Besides, I want in.”

You...really wish you could keep a straight face, normally you’re good at that, but what he’s implying is just...it’s fucking funny.  
“You want in? Into the gang? Am I getting this right?” You clarify, and do your best not to snicker as he nods intensely. 

“Indeed! It is clear you have a position of power amongst the criminal Underground here in this city, therefore by aligning myself with you I will eventually gain a similar amount of power…” He looks over to the others, Wolf having fallen asleep on top of a pillow — he’s physically on top of it sprawled like a starfish — and Cloud rushing around to look at everything. You think you see something red beading up in the corners of Leo’s eyesockets, but he wipes it away and continues. 

“Power is protection. Besides, you clearly have no sense of survival — a leader without a bodyguard! Honestly, do you WANT to be attacked?!” He continues berating you for being along, and you resist the urge to smile and laugh. 

That’s what they had been doing. Why they were all playing nice. Power is protection, and in the first day of knowing them you had shown you had the power to protect. It explained the sudden ease in attitudes, and why Leo had bothered with putting up with you — Boss Bitties aren’t known for patience — plus, what they likely found while snooping. 

You’ve had a good grip on the city for a while now, and sure it was all in the shadows but a grip like that is hard to shake no matter what. You had rules, people followed them, and those that didn’t got to find out why that’s a fool”s blunder. Besides, for a supposed gang or criminal empire — whatever it’s called these days — you and your lot toed the line pretty well. Did taxes, didn’t go getting into recorded fights, ran some decent legit businesses…

Just sometimes you did a little extra. Like breaking into a bitty ring fight and messing up the people who ran it. 

Still, survival of the quickest was a motto you stuck to. Quick to get out, quick to get up, quick to adapt had all been things you were trained to do and you could see it in Leo’s eyes.   
They wanted to survive. They had to survive. So adapting to you? Nothing to be startled over. 

“...Alright. You can work with us. Still, this shop talk needs to stick with me and Miss Karen over there.” You gesture towards the shop clerk, the woman in charge who had finally noticed your presence and was now walking over, “Give me a little faith that I won’t go running off without you boys. Consider it a first job if you gotta.”

He doesn’t like it. You can tell, and you’d apologize if you were actually sorry but it had to be done. What you wanted to ask Karen was not something you wanted your Bits to find out about. With a sigh and a nod, Leo teleports over to Wolf and Cloud to start directing them. 

You don’t even get to breathe a sigh of relief before you’re being dragged into the back of the store, and into the employee lounge. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Honestly if you weren’t a major supporter of this store I would have asked you to leave. Truly, those Bitties are in such horrible shape my heart hurts looking at them. I know you rough and tumble types don’t care much for us proper folks, but really you could have some decency!”

Miss Karen Gates is...a lot. On the outside, she’s the most pleasant woman you have ever had the pleasure to meet. Any customer who walked in would find themselves giving it a five star rating for customer service alone, nevermind all the well made products and the adorable Bitties playing around the store. 

You got to see the other side of her. The one that, while brilliant in her Bitty knowledge, felt the need to comment on every. Little. Thing. Like right now, where she was both dragging your ass through the pits of hell for — apparently — having roughed up Bitties, and also providing you with some good insight into what was truly going on with them. 

Let the battle of wits begin, start the match!

“I swear, I bought them that way! You mean to tell me there’s something wrong with my boys?” You whine out, tilting your head a bit. Playing dumb worked wonders with this woman. 

“Well, duh! The Softy is far too awake, most just sleep away on shoulders or in pockets. For him to be that awake is like insomnia for a human. That Boss listened to you far too quickly, they normally hate taking orders and don’t do very well at obeying humans — don’t get me started on the teleporting that is such a sign of too much DT — and that...ugh, I think it’s a Lil’ Bro? Did they tell you he was because they were lying sweetheart. Never seen one that tense though, you could see it in his shoulders and stance. Feigning sleep to keep up guard...that’s an Edgy thing to do.”

You listen carefully, nodding along when needed but lining info up in your head. So...Cloud would need to have some safe spots in the house set up, places he could sleep as deeply as he needs. You could talk to a couple of dealers, get some sleep meds too. Whatever he needs. Wolf would need help relaxing, just reminding that he’s safe. Maybe you could make a tiny weapon for him, you knew sleeping with a knife under the pillow helped you.   
That and a few private spots for him too. Areas only he could get into, or invite others into that he’s in complete control over. 

Leo, though…

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I know what you mean by DT? Could...could you explain, please?” Use the right amount of hesitancy, add in a little bit of innocence, and bat your eyes...Karen scoffs a bit, but you can see her smiling. Probably thinking that perhaps you really were as naive as you were acting, for once.   
Hook, line, and…

“DT stands for Determination. It’s a normal thing for us humans, but for Bitties it actually works like a magical stimulant. Like steroids, and it hurts them bad too. Heard those bastards in the Bitty fighting ring business use that stuff on the more aggressive Bitties all the time…” She trails off, before casting a suspicious look towards you. You hold back a sigh. Once again, while a great accidental informant...Karen’s a LOT.

“I see. The shop _did_ warm me that they found these three out in an alleyway...abandoned after a battle, maybe?” You click your tongue a few times, shaking your head and starting to head out the door.   
“I’ll keep my eyes open. Thanks for the info, bye darling.” Before she can respond, you let the act slip away and strut out into the store. 

Time to go see what your boys have been up to while you had your grown up chat.

**Author's Note:**

> First Bittybones fic, I’m very excited! If you have liked it so far, please do comment. It means the world to me.


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